MAY'S LAW OF CURVILINEAR DISPARITY REVISITED: LEADERS, OFFICERS, MEMBERS AND VOTERS IN BRITISH POLITICAL PARTIES

In: Party politics: an international journal for the study of political parties and political organizations, Band 1, Heft 1, S. 29-47

Abstract

EXPLAINING IDEOLOGICAL CONFLICT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CLASSIC THEME OF STUDIES OF PARTY ORGANIZATIONS. THE AIM OF THIS PAPER IS TO RE-EXAMINE MAY'S LAW, BASED ON RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY, WHICH SUGGESTS THAT DUE TO DIFFERENTIAL INCENTIVES SUB-LEADERS ARE LIKELY TO PROVE THE MOST EXTREME STRATUM IN PARTY ORGANIZATIONS, WHILE NON-LEADERS ARE THE MOST MODERATE, AND TOP LEADERS ARE LOCATED EQUIDISTANT BETWEEN THESE GROUPS. THE STUDY, BASED ON LARGE-SCALE SURVEYS OF POLITICIANS, LOCAL CONSTITUENCY OFFICERS, PARTY MEMBERS AND VOTERS IN THE 1992 BRITISH GENERAL ELECTION, THROWS CONSIDERABLE DOUBT ON THIS PROPOSITION.